Feb 4, 2018, 5:10 pm
Last edit by: mia
This thread is a continuation of: Citi AA Plat/Gold/Bus cards. August 2016: 1 personal & 1 business bonus/24 months.
The Executive card includes an Admirals Club membership. It was previously discussed in a separate thread: Citi AA Executive MasterCard (2016-2017)
The Executive card Wikipost is HERE.
Please read this wiki before posting questions in the thread.
All PUBLIC Citi AAdvantage personal card links now deny bonus miles for personal card accounts if you have opened or closed any Citi AAdvantage personal (gold, platinum, exec) card in the past 24 months.
All PUBLIC Citi AAdvantage business card links now deny bonus miles for business card accounts if you have opened or closed any Citi AAdvantage business card in the past 24 months.
See FAQ #1 below for additional details. See FAQ #3 below for a way around the 24-month restriction, including updated restrictions on mailers as of 10/14/2018.
Previous threads (now closed) on this topic are available for 2013-2014, 2015, and the first 7 months of 2016.
For information on the Executive version of this card, see: Citi Executive AA thread
Recommended application procedure:
Clear cache and cookies prior to applying or use an incognito or private browsing session to apply. Opening multiple different apps in different windows or tabs or failing to clear cookies/cache has resulted in people receiving a lesser offer.
Table of Contents
Top personal card offers
Top business card offers
Other personal cards
Other business cards
Citibank contacts/resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Top personal card offers (currently 60K)
For the sake of continuity, please do not renumber items in this list. Links are listed in chronological order (newest ones last).
Note: except as noted, application pages for offers in this section contain the following (or substantially similar) language:
34)Personal Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard 60,000 bonus miles after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
Apply by October 7, 2019. Although it doesn't say so on the offer page, the terms and conditions on the application page do say that the annual fee is waived the first year. Check this and take a screen shot, and please tell us if this changes. Thanks.
33) DEAD Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 60K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; application page.
Landing page for the personal Platinum Select card. 50,000 bonus miles after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months and 10,000 bonus miles after a total of $6,000 in purchases within the first 12 months
Top business card offers (currently 75K)
For the sake of continuity, please do not renumber items in this list. Links are listed in chronological order (newest ones last).
Except as noted below, all offers in this section contain language stating that
Prior to August 11, 2016, the standard language read as follows:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi...-business.html
Q) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 70K miles after $4000 spend in 4 months, $95 fee waived first year.
.
R) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 60K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; application page.
S ) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 75K miles after $5000 spend in 5 months, $99 fee waived first year.
Other personal cards
24) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 50K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; a) original application page, b) replacement application page, c) current application page - 4/19/2017.
30) Application page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 50K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year. Application page.
32) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 40K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year. Application page.
26) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 30K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; a) new 30K application pageb) original 50K application page. Expired ~ Apr. 18, 2017.
28) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 30K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; a) new 30K/$1K application page,b) original 50K application page. Expired ~ Apr 18, 2017.
Landing page for Citi Gold Mastercard offer for 25,000 miles after $750 spend in 3 months. $50 annual fee, waived first year; current application page, prior application page.
Other business cards
K) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 50K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year. Current (third) application page.
Landing page for CitiBusiness Platinum Select MC offer for 30K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; Application page.
Citibank contacts/resources
Frequently Asked Questions
The FAQs below will almost certainly answer questions you have about Citi AA Platinum, Gold, and CitiBusiness cards. Do not post in the thread "just to double-check if the wiki is correct"; the wiki is here to avoid having people ask the same questions endlessly. With few exceptions, Citi CSRs and bloggers spread a great deal of misinformation.
1. Are these AA cards churnable?
Yes and no. The general rules are:
If you violate the 24-month rule, Citi may still issue you the card but you will not get the bonus.
Most of the above rules are new for Citi. Prior to December 2015, receiving the card meant receiving the bonus. Prior to August 2016, the card type and category mattered.
Note that beginning in late 2014, new Citi AA business card offers began including the explicit requirement that the applicant not be an existing AA business cardholder. This language has not been uniformly enforced.
When closing a business card, be sure to completely cancel the full account; send an SM or call and request that the account, ending in XXXX and the associated cards, ending in YYYY (etc.) be closed, including the master account. (The master account is the actual line of credit, while the cards are the individual cards associated with each employee of the business.) To find the master account number, go to your online account and select the card you want to close. In the bottom left corner there is a dropdown box next to "Cardholder:" that has the master account and any card accounts listed.
2. Does a product change or card conversion count as a card open/close that resets the 24-month clock?
Yes. Downgrading to a different card (aka a "product change" or PC) counts as closing the AA card. This includes downgrades from AA Platinum to Gold as well as downgrades to non-AA cards. A similar rule has also been true for involuntary, Citi-initiated conversions of legacy, no-longer-issued AA Visa & Amex cards to MasterCards; these events are both a closure (of the old card) and an opening (of the replacement MC).
3. Is there any way around the 24-month restriction?
Yes. As of August 2016, there are two ways.
a) Targeted mailer offers Numerous FTers received physical mailers with unique invitation codes since 2015 in which the T&C do not contain the 24-month restriction language. E-mailed mailers do not circumvent the 24-month rules even though the application page does not have 24-month language.
The T&C for these offers will typically say instead that they are "applicable only to new accounts." This is nothing to worry about; all it means is that Citi won't retroactively match you to the offer on an account you already have; it doesn't disqualify someone who has a Citi AA card or has ever had one. Note: not all mailer offers are worded this way; some contain the standard 24-month restriction, so it is important to read closely.
If you would like to get targeted mailers, it is best not to have had a Citi AA card in the recent past. A number of people have gotten mailers by creating an AAdvantage account for a family member with the same last name at their address. Mailers usually start to show up a few months after an AAdvantage account is created, and stop coming once the mailers for that account begin to be used. Frequency of mailers varies widely.
Other noteworthy aspects:
b) Pre-qualified offers Multiple FTers (ref; ref) have reported receiving pre-qualified offers that do not include the 24-month/card-family restriction.
You can check for pre-qualified offers here. A good results page will have a heading that starts "[NAME], you're Pre-Qualified to apply for the following credit cards offers." A page that starts with "[NAME], we couldn't match your records to a Pre-Qualified credit card offer. See below for [X number] other cards you may like" does NOT contain a prequalified offer even if the page displays more than X offers; the offers presented will almost certainly contain (and Citi will enforce) the 24-month language.
4. What are the most current time-restriction rules in applying for all Citi cards?
For purposes of these rules,
If you get denied for violating any of these rules, you will probably have to wait the full time period (60+/90+ days) before trying again. Use this calculator to establish your dates: http://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html
In addition, FT lore has evolved into soft guidance that you apply for no more than one Citi card (of any kind) in any 8-day period. This is merely prudential guidance, not clearly established Citi policy; there are examples of people applying for two cards in a single day and being approved for the second. However, multiple Citi applications in a short time frame do appear, at least anecdotally, to increase the odds of the second application being denied. (You may see FTers refer to "the 8/65 rule," which refers to this soft guidance plus the strict 60-day rule noted above.)
NOTE: There are enough DP on this thread to indicate that Citi sometimes rejects apps that meet 8/65 rule (this is NOT a Citi rule but presumed by frequent long-term churners based on DP shared by various people on this and other boards over the years. Again, this is NOT a Citi rule. If you do not want to take chance, do NOT apply for more than 1 citi card every 75-90 days.
An example of the guidance above applied in combination:
Day 1 Apply for 65K AA Personal Plat MC - Starts 60-day and 24-month clocks. No apps of any kind recommended for 8 days.
Day 9 Apply for 50K AA Personal Plat MC using Mailer - Restarts 24-month clock for personal AA card & resets 60-day clock.
Day 66 Apply for 50K AA Business - Starts 24-month clock for AA biz card apps, starts 90-day clock for CitiBusiness cards & updates 60-day clock. No apps of any kind for 3 days, recommended 8 days.
Day 74 Apply for 50K TYP Card - Starts 24-month clock for TYP & updates 60-day clock. No apps of any kind for 52 days, recommended 57 days.
Day 161 - Open Costco Business card/Close CitiBusiness AA card - Restarts 24-month clock for Business AA apps, restarts 90-day clock for CitiBusiness cards & updates 60-day clock. No apps of any kind recommended for 8 days.
Day 9 plus 24 months Apply for 50K AA personal plat MC - As long as you have not closed the Day 9 card in the previous 24 months (as that would have reset the 24-month personal card clock).
Day 161 plus 24 months - Apply for 50K AA Business . . .
Not sure what day you applied? The date is written year, month, day in the application number: 201702150000 means you applied on February 15, 2017.
5. Do I need to close existing cards before applying?
There is no requirement that you close previous personal accounts. In fact, with the new applications that include 24-month language, closing accounts will increase the time between applications. People have reported having 6 or more of the exact same card.
The rules for Business accounts vary by individual. Some people can only get a single business card in their lifetime. Others can only get a new business card if their previous business cards are closed. This requires the master account and all employee accounts be closed see FAQ #1 above. Still others can have multiple business accounts open. It is unknown why people end up in one pool versus another. The only way to figure out which pool you are in is to test it out. With the new 24-month language, it is safest to completely close business accounts as soon as the bonus is received.
6. When should I close existing Citi accounts?
Citi cards can be closed immediately after receiving a bonus and paying off the balance. There are no verifiable reports of Citi clawing back miles except in cases where charges forming part of the required bonus spend are later reversed (for merchandise return, etc.).
Reasons to keep accounts open:
Reasons to close accounts:
7. Can I apply for a business card if I don’t have a business?
Anyone can apply for a business card. You do not need a registered business with an EIN. If you do not have a business with an EIN or with bills/accounts in the business name, you can apply using your name as the business. The three possibilities are that: 1. You could be approved unconditionally, 2. You could be asked to fax a couple of bills or accounts (water, electricity, gas, cable, or phone bills, bank accounts, etc.) in the name of the business to Citi, or 3. You could be required to fill out and send a 4506-T tax form. Whatever you do do not make up income etc. about the business. Plenty of people have been issued multiple cards for businesses with $0 annual revenue, 1-5 employees, and 0 years in business. While it may seem that your chances are better with an 'actual' business, Citi does not care.
8. Can I buy Visa gift cards to meet my minimum spend?
Purchases from banks are almost always coded as a cash advance regardless of what they are for. Purchases from stores, e.g. CVS, are almost always coded as a purchase. Citi is not very vigilant about policing MS.
If you are concerned about it, it’s recommended to send a secure message Citi and have them set your Cash Advance limit to zero. Phone CSRs often say they cannot do this.
9. Do I have to use my own AAdvantage number on applications?
Yes. The name on the card application must match the name on the AAdvantage account. You cannot apply for multiple cards for different people and use the same AAdvantage account number. People have reported having as many as 6-7 open Citi AA cards.
10. There is nothing on the application page stating the bonus miles. How do I know what the associated offer is?
You need to have faith in the readers of this thread if you want to maximize your miles. FTers constantly apply for these cards and report back to confirm bonus amounts. If you don't feel like trusting in the experiences of others, then apply for an offer with a landing page.
11. After approval, how can I a) confirm the amount of the bonus I can earn and b) determine the deadline for completing the required spend?
For personal and business cards, you can always send Citi a secure message through your online account to confirm your bonus amount and deadline. (You must first activate the card and set up online access, either by creating an online account or by linking your new card to your existing online account. Unlike some other banks, Citi does not automatically add your new card to your existing online account.)
Note for for Business cards only: Approval letters for business cards do not confirm the bonus.
In addition, for personal cards only (and perhaps only for online applications), there are two additional indicators:
Note that these are the only reliable indicators. Asking a Citi phone CSR immediately after you are approved is NOT a sound approach. Such CSRs can only tell you what the bonus offer terms were, not whether you are eligible. (This is because Citi will issue you a card even if you are ineligible for the signup bonus.)
12. When will my bonus miles post?
Roughly 2-3 days after the statement closing date, of the of the statement containing the charge that takes you across the spend threshold. You can look at the paper statement (or PDF if online/paperless) and you'll see a section that says "miles earned". Ex: If your statement closed on January 10, 2019, and you met the MSR on that statement, you should see a "miles earned" that has the Bonus miles plus the charges/miles earned. Note that the Citi online account info shows the current AA balance, and it make take several days for the "online" AA balance to show the proper miles. The paper statement will show if/when the bonus miles were earned.
13. Do I get 10% back when redeeming miles for awards?
It depends. First, the rebate program (which began in April 2012) applies only to holders of these cards:
Also, the maximum rebate for any cardholder in a single calendar year is 10,000 miles. Having more than one qualifying Citi AA card will not allow you to receive a larger rebate; the restriction applies per AAdvantage account.
For more on the 10% rebate benefit, see AAdvantage Citi / Barclays 10% miles / mileage rebate (consolidated).
14. Can I cancel a card using secure messaging?
Yes, assuming you have set up the credit card in your Citi account. Quick and easy.
15. Which credit bureau does Citi pull and can I force them to use a different one?
Citi appears to use Experian most frequently, followed by Equifax. For some people they pull both. It depends on where you are located. You can check the Credit Boards database to see where card issuers have pulled recently.
For the most part, freezing Experian, or another bureau, will not cause Citi to pull a different bureau. They will almost certainly require you to unfreeze the bureau they wish to pull or deny your application. Some people have been successful providing the PIN but others have not. Mostly, freezing a credit bureau in an attempt to force Citi to pull a different one seems to waste time, money, and effort for little result. But YMMV.
For one person's experiences with various card issuers, check here.
16. When is the 60K (75K, 100K, etc.) offer going to come back?
Nobody knows except Citi & they don't announce these things in advance. If we knew, we'd be talking about it non-stop. Please don't ask about it periodically in the thread.
If you want to make yourself useful, you can easily look for new offers by testing the URLs
17. Is my card World (W) or World Elite (WE)?
It was once useful to know if your card is World (W) or World Elite (WE) because of a loophole that previously allowed applicants to open new accounts and earn signup bonuses less than 24 months since the last open/close of the same card type. That loophole has been closed. (See FAQ #1 above for more information.)
Physical card
In the alternative,
18. Why and when does Citi convert cards to World Elite? Can I do anything to trigger the conversion?
Citi appears to convert recently opened World MCs to World Elite en masse at periodic intervals once every few months. For most new cardholders, this will occur in the second or third full billing cycle; for holders of legacy Citi AA VISA or Amex cards, the conversion may occur at any time.
There is nothing you can do as a cardholder to trigger the conversion.
19. What's the difference between World and World Elite cards?
See the wiki at Difference in MasterCard World and World Elite?.
20. Does Citi match bonus offers?
Yes. After you activate and link your new card to your online account, send an SM explaining that you heard about a XXK bonus and ask if they can match that bonus to your new card. You have to have a bonus on the existing card. You do not need to explain where you saw the bonus. You do not need to lie, simply read about current bonuses in this thread.
The bonus miles normally appear two days after the end of the next billing cycle.
Currently, you can match up to the lesser of 20,000 miles over your existing offer and 75,000 miles.
If you are rejected, send a new request. If rejected more than once, try sending at a different time of day, use different wording, etc.
21. The CSR told me I was not eligible for the bonus, should I cancel the application??
No. Citi CSRs do not always have complete information. When applying for a card, the CSR can tell that the link is associated with a bonus and that you opened or closed a card within 24 months. However, they cannot tell you whether or not you are eligible for the bonus. Wait for the welcome letter for personal cards or SM after activating a business card if you are unsure.
22. I was following the timing rules but got denied for Multiple Applications for Credit ("MAC"). Why??
Multiple Applications for Credit (or MAC) normally means that you violated one of Citi's application timing rules, like applying for more than two cards in 60 days. Because Citi has trouble counting, applications have been denied in the past if they were too close to 60/90 days. However, starting in August 2016, people have been somewhat randomly getting this denial when applying well outside of the 60/90-day range. CSRs frequently say that you can only apply for a single card in a 60-day period but this is not the case and people who have gotten this denial have gone on to successfully apply for 2 cards in 60 days or less.
You can try to request reconsideration or apply again as if the denial was an approval. You do not have to wait 60+ days from the denial to apply again.
The Executive card includes an Admirals Club membership. It was previously discussed in a separate thread: Citi AA Executive MasterCard (2016-2017)
The Executive card Wikipost is HERE.
Please read this wiki before posting questions in the thread.
All PUBLIC Citi AAdvantage personal card links now deny bonus miles for personal card accounts if you have opened or closed any Citi AAdvantage personal (gold, platinum, exec) card in the past 24 months.
All PUBLIC Citi AAdvantage business card links now deny bonus miles for business card accounts if you have opened or closed any Citi AAdvantage business card in the past 24 months.
See FAQ #1 below for additional details.
Previous threads (now closed) on this topic are available for 2013-2014, 2015, and the first 7 months of 2016.
For information on the Executive version of this card, see: Citi Executive AA thread
Recommended application procedure:
Clear cache and cookies prior to applying or use an incognito or private browsing session to apply. Opening multiple different apps in different windows or tabs or failing to clear cookies/cache has resulted in people receiving a lesser offer.
Table of Contents
Top personal card offers
Top business card offers
Other personal cards
Other business cards
Citibank contacts/resources
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are these AA cards churnable?
- Does a product change or card conversion count as a card open/close that resets the 24-month clock?
- Is there any way around the 24-month restriction?
- What are the most current time-restriction rules in applying for all Citi cards?
- Do I need to close existing cards before applying?
- When should I close existing Citi accounts?
- Can I apply for a business card if I don’t have a business?
- Can I buy Visa gift cards to meet my minimum spend?
- Do I have to use my own AAdvantage number on applications?
- There is nothing on the application page stating the bonus miles. How do I know what the associated offer is?
- After approval, how can I a) confirm the amount of the bonus I can earn and b) determine the deadline for completing the required spend?
- When will my bonus miles post?
- Do I get 10% back when redeeming miles for awards?
- Can I cancel a card using secure messaging?
- Which credit bureau does Citi pull and can I force them to use a different one?
- When is the 60K (75K, 100K, etc.) offer going to come back?
- Is my card World (W) or World Elite (WE)?
- Why and when does Citi convert cards to World Elite? Can I do anything to trigger the conversion?
- What's the difference between World and World Elite cards?
- Does Citi match bonus offers?
- The CSR told me I was not eligible for the bonus, should I cancel the application?
- I was following the timing rules but got denied for Multiple Applications for Credit (commonly referred to as MAC). Why?
Top personal card offers (currently 60K)
For the sake of continuity, please do not renumber items in this list. Links are listed in chronological order (newest ones last).
Note: except as noted, application pages for offers in this section contain the following (or substantially similar) language:
American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage card (other than an AAdvantage MileUp℠ or a CitiBusiness/AAdvantage card) opened or closed in the past 24 months.
Apply by October 7, 2019. Although it doesn't say so on the offer page, the terms and conditions on the application page do say that the annual fee is waived the first year. Check this and take a screen shot, and please tell us if this changes. Thanks.
33) DEAD Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 60K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; application page.
Landing page for the personal Platinum Select card. 50,000 bonus miles after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months and 10,000 bonus miles after a total of $6,000 in purchases within the first 12 months
Top business card offers (currently 75K)
For the sake of continuity, please do not renumber items in this list. Links are listed in chronological order (newest ones last).
Except as noted below, all offers in this section contain language stating that
This card is not available if the business already has a CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select World MasterCard account. Bonus miles and any additional special offer not available if you have had any CitiBusiness/AAdvantage account opened or closed in the past 24 months.
Bonus miles not available if you have had a CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select World MasterCard opened or closed in the past 24 months.
Q) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 70K miles after $4000 spend in 4 months, $95 fee waived first year.
.
R) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 60K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; application page.
S ) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 75K miles after $5000 spend in 5 months, $99 fee waived first year.
Other personal cards
24) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 50K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; a)
30) Application page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 50K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year. Application page.
32) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 40K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year. Application page.
26) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 30K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; a) new 30K application page
28) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 30K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; a) new 30K/$1K application page,
Landing page for Citi Gold Mastercard offer for 25,000 miles after $750 spend in 3 months. $50 annual fee, waived first year; current application page, prior application page.
- Note: offer terms now state thatPrior to August 11, 2016, the standard language was less restrictive:American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage card (other than a CitiBusiness/AAdvantage card) opened or closed in the past 24 months.
American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles not available if you have had a Citi/AAdvantage Gold MasterCard opened or closed in the past 24 months.
Other business cards
K) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 50K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year. Current (third) application page.
Landing page for CitiBusiness Platinum Select MC offer for 30K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; Application page.
Citibank contacts/resources
- Inquiry form for prequalified offers: https://www.citicards.com/cards/cred...on~BrowseCards
- Application status: https://www.accountonline.com/cards/...?screenID=3187
- (800) 695-5171 – Personal Application Status and Reconsideration Line with live rep
- (800) 763-9795 – General Personal Application Inquiries with live rep
- (800) 645-7240 – Business Application Status and Reconsideration Line; press 1 for English and then follow prompts
- (800) 288-4653 – Business Application Status and Reconsideration Line; press 1 for English and then follow prompts
- (866) 606-2787 – General Application and Account Questions with live rep
- (888) 201-4523 – Application status
- (866) 606-2961 – Reconsideration Line.
- Twitter : @AskCiti. Very powerful tool.
- Executive Office - useful for getting a more empowered agent for reconsideration purposes: CitiBank Executive Review Department, P.O. Box 6000, Sioux Falls, SD 57117
Frequently Asked Questions
The FAQs below will almost certainly answer questions you have about Citi AA Platinum, Gold, and CitiBusiness cards. Do not post in the thread "just to double-check if the wiki is correct"; the wiki is here to avoid having people ask the same questions endlessly. With few exceptions, Citi CSRs and bloggers spread a great deal of misinformation.
1. Are these AA cards churnable?
Yes and no. The general rules are:
- Personal AA cards: As of August 11, 2016, all public offers require you to wait 24 months from the date of opening or closing any other personal Citi/AAdvantage account, regardless of type (AmEx, Visa, MC) or category (Gold, Platinum, Executive). This includes voluntary and involuntary conversion of an AA Personal card of any type.
If you violate the 24-month rule, Citi may still issue you the card but you will not get the bonus.
Most of the above rules are new for Citi. Prior to December 2015, receiving the card meant receiving the bonus. Prior to August 2016, the card type and category mattered.
- Business AA cards: As of April 22, 2016, all public business card offers contain a 24-month restriction, as noted above.
Note that beginning in late 2014, new Citi AA business card offers began including the explicit requirement that the applicant not be an existing AA business cardholder. This language has not been uniformly enforced.
When closing a business card, be sure to completely cancel the full account; send an SM or call and request that the account, ending in XXXX and the associated cards, ending in YYYY (etc.) be closed, including the master account. (The master account is the actual line of credit, while the cards are the individual cards associated with each employee of the business.) To find the master account number, go to your online account and select the card you want to close. In the bottom left corner there is a dropdown box next to "Cardholder:" that has the master account and any card accounts listed.
2. Does a product change or card conversion count as a card open/close that resets the 24-month clock?
Yes. Downgrading to a different card (aka a "product change" or PC) counts as closing the AA card. This includes downgrades from AA Platinum to Gold as well as downgrades to non-AA cards. A similar rule has also been true for involuntary, Citi-initiated conversions of legacy, no-longer-issued AA Visa & Amex cards to MasterCards; these events are both a closure (of the old card) and an opening (of the replacement MC).
3. Is there any way around the 24-month restriction?
Yes. As of August 2016, there are two ways.
a) Targeted mailer offers Numerous FTers received physical mailers with unique invitation codes since 2015 in which the T&C do not contain the 24-month restriction language. E-mailed mailers do not circumvent the 24-month rules even though the application page does not have 24-month language.
The T&C for these offers will typically say instead that they are "applicable only to new accounts." This is nothing to worry about; all it means is that Citi won't retroactively match you to the offer on an account you already have; it doesn't disqualify someone who has a Citi AA card or has ever had one. Note: not all mailer offers are worded this way; some contain the standard 24-month restriction, so it is important to read closely.
If you would like to get targeted mailers, it is best not to have had a Citi AA card in the recent past. A number of people have gotten mailers by creating an AAdvantage account for a family member with the same last name at their address. Mailers usually start to show up a few months after an AAdvantage account is created, and stop coming once the mailers for that account begin to be used. Frequency of mailers varies widely.
Other noteworthy aspects:
- In order to access the application page, you must have both the 9-digit or 12-digit invitation code and the surname of the offer recipient.
- After you authenticate the offer code and are redirected to the application page, you may enter a completely different applicant name and address.
- Caution: 12-digit mailers may allow the name change but the application will not be approved.
- Offers do not always expire on the nominal expiration shown on the mailer. Offers with 9-digit codes that direct you to citi.com/applynowAAplatinumselectcard generally last an extra 2 months (i.e., a mailer with a stated May 15 expiration was fully valid through July 14).
- As of 10/14/2018, mailers cannot be used repeatedly. Each mailer can only be used once after 10/14/2018. Additional attempts will not load the application page.
- Use of the mailer by the named individual will cause the mailers to stop coming for that individual.
b) Pre-qualified offers Multiple FTers (ref; ref) have reported receiving pre-qualified offers that do not include the 24-month/card-family restriction.
You can check for pre-qualified offers here. A good results page will have a heading that starts "[NAME], you're Pre-Qualified to apply for the following credit cards offers." A page that starts with "[NAME], we couldn't match your records to a Pre-Qualified credit card offer. See below for [X number] other cards you may like" does NOT contain a prequalified offer even if the page displays more than X offers; the offers presented will almost certainly contain (and Citi will enforce) the 24-month language.
4. What are the most current time-restriction rules in applying for all Citi cards?
- No more than 2 Citi applications of any kind in 60 days (65 days to be safe). Any kind includes personal and business, approved and denied, regardless of type (e.g. AA, TY, CostCo, etc.).
- [In addition to the above:] No more than 1 CitiBusiness application in 90 days (95 days to be safe).
For purposes of these rules,
- count all Citi applications, including denials and/or applications for non-AA cards.
- the only day that matters is the application date (not approval date, not activation date).
- count all calendar days, not just business days.
If you get denied for violating any of these rules, you will probably have to wait the full time period (60+/90+ days) before trying again. Use this calculator to establish your dates: http://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html
In addition, FT lore has evolved into soft guidance that you apply for no more than one Citi card (of any kind) in any 8-day period. This is merely prudential guidance, not clearly established Citi policy; there are examples of people applying for two cards in a single day and being approved for the second. However, multiple Citi applications in a short time frame do appear, at least anecdotally, to increase the odds of the second application being denied. (You may see FTers refer to "the 8/65 rule," which refers to this soft guidance plus the strict 60-day rule noted above.)
NOTE: There are enough DP on this thread to indicate that Citi sometimes rejects apps that meet 8/65 rule (this is NOT a Citi rule but presumed by frequent long-term churners based on DP shared by various people on this and other boards over the years. Again, this is NOT a Citi rule. If you do not want to take chance, do NOT apply for more than 1 citi card every 75-90 days.
An example of the guidance above applied in combination:
Day 1 Apply for 65K AA Personal Plat MC - Starts 60-day and 24-month clocks. No apps of any kind recommended for 8 days.
Day 9 Apply for 50K AA Personal Plat MC using Mailer - Restarts 24-month clock for personal AA card & resets 60-day clock.
Day 66 Apply for 50K AA Business - Starts 24-month clock for AA biz card apps, starts 90-day clock for CitiBusiness cards & updates 60-day clock. No apps of any kind for 3 days, recommended 8 days.
Day 74 Apply for 50K TYP Card - Starts 24-month clock for TYP & updates 60-day clock. No apps of any kind for 52 days, recommended 57 days.
Day 161 - Open Costco Business card/Close CitiBusiness AA card - Restarts 24-month clock for Business AA apps, restarts 90-day clock for CitiBusiness cards & updates 60-day clock. No apps of any kind recommended for 8 days.
Day 9 plus 24 months Apply for 50K AA personal plat MC - As long as you have not closed the Day 9 card in the previous 24 months (as that would have reset the 24-month personal card clock).
Day 161 plus 24 months - Apply for 50K AA Business . . .
Not sure what day you applied? The date is written year, month, day in the application number: 201702150000 means you applied on February 15, 2017.
5. Do I need to close existing cards before applying?
There is no requirement that you close previous personal accounts. In fact, with the new applications that include 24-month language, closing accounts will increase the time between applications. People have reported having 6 or more of the exact same card.
The rules for Business accounts vary by individual. Some people can only get a single business card in their lifetime. Others can only get a new business card if their previous business cards are closed. This requires the master account and all employee accounts be closed see FAQ #1 above. Still others can have multiple business accounts open. It is unknown why people end up in one pool versus another. The only way to figure out which pool you are in is to test it out. With the new 24-month language, it is safest to completely close business accounts as soon as the bonus is received.
6. When should I close existing Citi accounts?
Citi cards can be closed immediately after receiving a bonus and paying off the balance. There are no verifiable reports of Citi clawing back miles except in cases where charges forming part of the required bonus spend are later reversed (for merchandise return, etc.).
Reasons to keep accounts open:
- Having large credit lines improves your utilization percentage.
- Maintaining old cards improves average age of cards.
- Credit lines can be moved from old cards to new cards.
- Anecdotal evidence suggests that Citi counts the credit lines of recently-closed accounts for 3-6 months against your total available credit. You can call/SM to reduce credit lines instead or prior to closing to free CL more quickly.
- You can receive retention offers once every 6 months per card. See this thread for details on the latest retention offers.
- Closing cards now resets the clock for future applications for the same type and category of card.
Reasons to close accounts:
- Having a large amount of available credit with Citi will eventually reduce your chances of instant approval. You may end up with 1K/2K credit lines, especially on Business cards. You can also SM and request that your CL be reduced.
- There is little incentive to pay an annual fee if Citi does not ofset it with a credit.
- Citi has become stingier with credits to offset annual fee.
- Having a large number of open Citi cards will show up on your credit report and may affect non-Citi applications as well as the overall age of your accounts.
- Closing multiple accounts of the same type and category simultaneously resets the clock only once. Doing so shortly after opening a new account minimizes the wait for future churn eligibility.
7. Can I apply for a business card if I don’t have a business?
Anyone can apply for a business card. You do not need a registered business with an EIN. If you do not have a business with an EIN or with bills/accounts in the business name, you can apply using your name as the business. The three possibilities are that: 1. You could be approved unconditionally, 2. You could be asked to fax a couple of bills or accounts (water, electricity, gas, cable, or phone bills, bank accounts, etc.) in the name of the business to Citi, or 3. You could be required to fill out and send a 4506-T tax form. Whatever you do do not make up income etc. about the business. Plenty of people have been issued multiple cards for businesses with $0 annual revenue, 1-5 employees, and 0 years in business. While it may seem that your chances are better with an 'actual' business, Citi does not care.
8. Can I buy Visa gift cards to meet my minimum spend?
Purchases from banks are almost always coded as a cash advance regardless of what they are for. Purchases from stores, e.g. CVS, are almost always coded as a purchase. Citi is not very vigilant about policing MS.
If you are concerned about it, it’s recommended to send a secure message Citi and have them set your Cash Advance limit to zero. Phone CSRs often say they cannot do this.
9. Do I have to use my own AAdvantage number on applications?
Yes. The name on the card application must match the name on the AAdvantage account. You cannot apply for multiple cards for different people and use the same AAdvantage account number. People have reported having as many as 6-7 open Citi AA cards.
10. There is nothing on the application page stating the bonus miles. How do I know what the associated offer is?
You need to have faith in the readers of this thread if you want to maximize your miles. FTers constantly apply for these cards and report back to confirm bonus amounts. If you don't feel like trusting in the experiences of others, then apply for an offer with a landing page.
11. After approval, how can I a) confirm the amount of the bonus I can earn and b) determine the deadline for completing the required spend?
For personal and business cards, you can always send Citi a secure message through your online account to confirm your bonus amount and deadline. (You must first activate the card and set up online access, either by creating an online account or by linking your new card to your existing online account. Unlike some other banks, Citi does not automatically add your new card to your existing online account.)
Note for for Business cards only: Approval letters for business cards do not confirm the bonus.
In addition, for personal cards only (and perhaps only for online applications), there are two additional indicators:
- The approval letter for a personal card will confirm the amount of the bonus for which you are eligible, but not the spend deadline. (As noted in FAQ #1 above, Citi may approve you for a personal card even if you do not qualify for a bonus. No bonus language in the letter means no bonus.)
- In many cases, your online account for a personal card also provides information on eligible bonus and spend deadline. Log into your Citi account and select the applicable card. On the Account Details page you'll see a "My Miles Summary" link; click that link, scroll down, and you will see a pie-chart graphic showing the spend deadline and your progress as of your last statement. (Charges made since your last statement are not included in this total.)
Starting in autumn 2016, some users reported that they had no tracker in their accounts despite being bonus-eligible. If your welcome letter confirmed the bonus, you will receive it regardless of the presence/absence of the online tracker. (In other words, the presence of the tracker reaffirms what was conveyed in your approval letter, but its absence proves nothing either way.)
Note that these are the only reliable indicators. Asking a Citi phone CSR immediately after you are approved is NOT a sound approach. Such CSRs can only tell you what the bonus offer terms were, not whether you are eligible. (This is because Citi will issue you a card even if you are ineligible for the signup bonus.)
12. When will my bonus miles post?
Roughly 2-3 days after the statement closing date, of the of the statement containing the charge that takes you across the spend threshold. You can look at the paper statement (or PDF if online/paperless) and you'll see a section that says "miles earned". Ex: If your statement closed on January 10, 2019, and you met the MSR on that statement, you should see a "miles earned" that has the Bonus miles plus the charges/miles earned. Note that the Citi online account info shows the current AA balance, and it make take several days for the "online" AA balance to show the proper miles. The paper statement will show if/when the bonus miles were earned.
13. Do I get 10% back when redeeming miles for awards?
It depends. First, the rebate program (which began in April 2012) applies only to holders of these cards:
- Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa Signature
- Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage World MasterCard
- Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard
- Citi Select AAdvantage American Express
Also, the maximum rebate for any cardholder in a single calendar year is 10,000 miles. Having more than one qualifying Citi AA card will not allow you to receive a larger rebate; the restriction applies per AAdvantage account.
For more on the 10% rebate benefit, see AAdvantage Citi / Barclays 10% miles / mileage rebate (consolidated).
14. Can I cancel a card using secure messaging?
Yes, assuming you have set up the credit card in your Citi account. Quick and easy.
15. Which credit bureau does Citi pull and can I force them to use a different one?
Citi appears to use Experian most frequently, followed by Equifax. For some people they pull both. It depends on where you are located. You can check the Credit Boards database to see where card issuers have pulled recently.
For the most part, freezing Experian, or another bureau, will not cause Citi to pull a different bureau. They will almost certainly require you to unfreeze the bureau they wish to pull or deny your application. Some people have been successful providing the PIN but others have not. Mostly, freezing a credit bureau in an attempt to force Citi to pull a different one seems to waste time, money, and effort for little result. But YMMV.
For one person's experiences with various card issuers, check here.
16. When is the 60K (75K, 100K, etc.) offer going to come back?
Nobody knows except Citi & they don't announce these things in advance. If we knew, we'd be talking about it non-stop. Please don't ask about it periodically in the thread.
If you want to make yourself useful, you can easily look for new offers by testing the URLs
- away*.citicards.com
- fly*.citicards.com
- travel*.citicards.com
- miles*.citicards.com
- go*.citicards.com
- aadvantagecards*.citicards.com
17. Is my card World (W) or World Elite (WE)?
It was once useful to know if your card is World (W) or World Elite (WE) because of a loophole that previously allowed applicants to open new accounts and earn signup bonuses less than 24 months since the last open/close of the same card type. That loophole has been closed. (See FAQ #1 above for more information.)
Physical card
- If your card is W the back of the card will say "World" and have a red and yellow MasterCard logo.
- If your card is WE the back of the card will say "World Elite" and have a silver MasterCard logo.
- If your card has been converted, the summary for that card (on the home Accounts page) will include, at the bottom, a line with a green flag and the legend "We've mailed your new Citi card. After it arrives, activate it for use. Learn more Activate"
In the alternative,
- Log into your online account.
- Select "Account Management"
- Select "Profile & Settings"
- Select "Set Default Credit Card"
- If the card is listed as "Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World MasterCard®" it is W.
- If the card is listed as "Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select®" it is WE.
- If the card is listed as "Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold World MasterCard®" it is W.
- If the card is listed as "Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold" it is WE.
18. Why and when does Citi convert cards to World Elite? Can I do anything to trigger the conversion?
Citi appears to convert recently opened World MCs to World Elite en masse at periodic intervals once every few months. For most new cardholders, this will occur in the second or third full billing cycle; for holders of legacy Citi AA VISA or Amex cards, the conversion may occur at any time.
There is nothing you can do as a cardholder to trigger the conversion.
19. What's the difference between World and World Elite cards?
See the wiki at Difference in MasterCard World and World Elite?.
20. Does Citi match bonus offers?
Yes. After you activate and link your new card to your online account, send an SM explaining that you heard about a XXK bonus and ask if they can match that bonus to your new card. You have to have a bonus on the existing card. You do not need to explain where you saw the bonus. You do not need to lie, simply read about current bonuses in this thread.
The bonus miles normally appear two days after the end of the next billing cycle.
Currently, you can match up to the lesser of 20,000 miles over your existing offer and 75,000 miles.
If you are rejected, send a new request. If rejected more than once, try sending at a different time of day, use different wording, etc.
21. The CSR told me I was not eligible for the bonus, should I cancel the application??
No. Citi CSRs do not always have complete information. When applying for a card, the CSR can tell that the link is associated with a bonus and that you opened or closed a card within 24 months. However, they cannot tell you whether or not you are eligible for the bonus. Wait for the welcome letter for personal cards or SM after activating a business card if you are unsure.
22. I was following the timing rules but got denied for Multiple Applications for Credit ("MAC"). Why??
Multiple Applications for Credit (or MAC) normally means that you violated one of Citi's application timing rules, like applying for more than two cards in 60 days. Because Citi has trouble counting, applications have been denied in the past if they were too close to 60/90 days. However, starting in August 2016, people have been somewhat randomly getting this denial when applying well outside of the 60/90-day range. CSRs frequently say that you can only apply for a single card in a 60-day period but this is not the case and people who have gotten this denial have gone on to successfully apply for 2 cards in 60 days or less.
You can try to request reconsideration or apply again as if the denial was an approval. You do not have to wait 60+ days from the denial to apply again.
Citi AA cards: All (Platinum, Gold, Executive; Business) 2018
Apr 19, 2018, 7:20 am
#1051
Moderator: Travel Buzz
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 3,099
Lots of people, myself included, suggested in November that something was going on with the fraud calls, new Application ID numbers, denials for 'reuse of promo' etc. However, it has not been clear until very recently exactly what Citi seems to be implementing.
Citi changes the rules all the time to limit churning. One personal card every 18-ish months. Elimination of two-browser trick. Elimination of WE loophole. One of each product in 18 months. One of each product in 24 months. One of each class of product (personal AA/business AA/TYP/HHonors) in 24 months. I suspect that they are seeing a lot of applications on a single mailer and see it as potential fraud. When I called recon about a denial for having previously applied under a solicitation, the recon rep saw the other 4-5 people who had used that mailer before me and thought people were applying using my name/ssn, etc. until she looked carefully at the apps. So it is likely that Citi's system thinks these are possibly fraudulent (hence all of the 'fraud' calls) and someone narrowed it down to people who have applied for cards every month. Who knows?
Citi changes the rules all the time to limit churning. One personal card every 18-ish months. Elimination of two-browser trick. Elimination of WE loophole. One of each product in 18 months. One of each product in 24 months. One of each class of product (personal AA/business AA/TYP/HHonors) in 24 months. I suspect that they are seeing a lot of applications on a single mailer and see it as potential fraud. When I called recon about a denial for having previously applied under a solicitation, the recon rep saw the other 4-5 people who had used that mailer before me and thought people were applying using my name/ssn, etc. until she looked carefully at the apps. So it is likely that Citi's system thinks these are possibly fraudulent (hence all of the 'fraud' calls) and someone narrowed it down to people who have applied for cards every month. Who knows?
Apr 19, 2018, 8:17 am
#1052
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
This is a very common business strategy. American Express is doing exactly the same, all of their public offers have a restriction that is omitted from many of their targeted offers. This isn't a mistake. Public offers are designed to attract business, but also to communicate policies to competitors, who can adopt similar policies without fear of losing market share. All issuers have published policies designed to reduce churn, and all of them have discreet exceptions, and all of them know that the others have exceptions.
Apr 19, 2018, 9:01 am
#1053
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 615
Another DP...
SO just got approved using a 9 digit 60k mailer.
So far this year (for my SO)...3/9/18 - approved, 4/14 - approved
For my approvals:
1/20/18
2/20/18
3/30/18
will apply for another later this month.
My hope is that the address on the mailer allows safer passage to an approval rather than the name on the mailer. Thankfully my household gets a few unclaimed mailers at a time
SO just got approved using a 9 digit 60k mailer.
So far this year (for my SO)...3/9/18 - approved, 4/14 - approved
For my approvals:
1/20/18
2/20/18
3/30/18
will apply for another later this month.
Or perhaps the flags have everything to do with name changes on mailers? That would be a natural flag for a fraudulent application. This could be wild speculation, but an application used multiple times, but never by the addressee, might mimic the actions of crime ring. Mail theft is rampant and so is identity theft. Perhaps the fraud detection warnings are working, and that's why the churning crowd keeps running into issues.
Apr 19, 2018, 9:51 am
#1054
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 4
Here's my question. I had opened one of the Barclays Aadvantage cards in February 2015. I converted it to a non-aadvantage card roughly one year later, so around February or March of 2016. I believe I kept the same account number. Due to inactivity, my account was closed in February 2017. So it was closed when it was a non-Aadvantage card.
When would I be eligible for the bonus from Citi for their aadvantage cards? March 2018? February 2019?
When would I be eligible for the bonus from Citi for their aadvantage cards? March 2018? February 2019?
Apr 19, 2018, 9:58 am
#1055
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 889
Here's my question. I had opened one of the Barclays Aadvantage cards in February 2015. I converted it to a non-aadvantage card roughly one year later, so around February or March of 2016. I believe I kept the same account number. Due to inactivity, my account was closed in February 2017. So it was closed when it was a non-Aadvantage card.
When would I be eligible for the bonus from Citi for their aadvantage cards? March 2018? February 2019?
When would I be eligible for the bonus from Citi for their aadvantage cards? March 2018? February 2019?
Apr 19, 2018, 10:09 am
#1056
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 736
I think the 1/60 potential fraud flags are something to be aware of but what the agent said about them not always triggering and the fact that my wife was instantly approved in early April without the issue means I plan on applying like normal every 35 days or so. I think it's most important to realize that the 2nd app in 60 days has the possibility of instant denial but can be overridden. DPs on reddit confirm the same. So I'm not particularly concerned with it at this point; if the app couldn't then be submitted fully then that'd be a different issue.
Apr 19, 2018, 10:13 am
#1057
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 4
Okay, thanks. I thought where the terms and conditions to the Citi Aadvantage card say you cannot have had a "Citi® / AAdvantage® " card opened or closed within the past 24 months it may have been referring to a Citi or Aadvantage card.
Apr 19, 2018, 12:41 pm
#1058
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 2,055
Or perhaps the flags have everything to do with name changes on mailers? That would be a natural flag for a fraudulent application. This could be wild speculation, but an application used multiple times, but never by the addressee, might mimic the actions of crime ring. Mail theft is rampant and so is identity theft. Perhaps the fraud detection warnings are working, and that's why the churning crowd keeps running into issues.
Apr 19, 2018, 2:00 pm
#1059
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,477
Perhaps the Fraud campaign is in anticipation of the damage due to the Equifax breach or something similar. Don't be concerned about the lack of logic behind the specific measures. In the corporate world the appearance of action often trumps all other considerations.
Apr 19, 2018, 2:14 pm
#1060
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
No, if you look at a Citi web page about a Citi AA card (your own when you log or a splash page for an application), they almost always put the slash in there. I don't know why, but it's their habit. It doesn't mean "or" in this case, it's just weird Citi "window dressing".
Apr 19, 2018, 6:25 pm
#1061
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: fort worth, texas
Posts: 946
I think the 1/60 potential fraud flags are something to be aware of but what the agent said about them not always triggering and the fact that my wife was instantly approved in early April without the issue means I plan on applying like normal every 35 days or so. I think it's most important to realize that the 2nd app in 60 days has the possibility of instant denial but can be overridden. DPs on reddit confirm the same. So I'm not particularly concerned with it at this point; if the app couldn't then be submitted fully then that'd be a different issue.
In all cases, we get intelligent sounding American CSRs that also appear earnest and not seeing any past "log" on our previous calls. In EVERY case, we've been specifically told about the 60 days being the issue and that there is nothing they can do to put it forward for a manual review. The letter didn't specify 60 days, and we never suggested it, and yet every one almost seems to be reading it on a screen, so the absolute consistency does almost lead me to believe Citi CSRs (for once!).
I'm purely speculating that the first few days of this seemingly likely "1 in 60" world, people were able to get in before the door "closed" to get a manual review. It'll be interesting to see if anyone recently (last couple days) has had success in that. Again, my speculation is that either everyone is trained now, or the screen they look at has now been specifically updated to say they can't review it.
I hope I'm wrong, but I just wanted to sound a word of caution that it's not a guarantee that you can count on a manual override and approval, but we'll need to see if it's still viable at all going forward.
Apr 19, 2018, 7:44 pm
#1062
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 27
I've dealt with Citibank cards for almost two decades, and I've always thought they were the least reliable CSRs...that said, for my wife and I (auto-denied around the 10th each) we've now called a dozen times: A) to get an explanation, and B) to get a manual override review.
In all cases, we get intelligent sounding American CSRs that also appear earnest and not seeing any past "log" on our previous calls. In EVERY case, we've been specifically told about the 60 days being the issue and that there is nothing they can do to put it forward for a manual review. The letter didn't specify 60 days, and we never suggested it, and yet every one almost seems to be reading it on a screen, so the absolute consistency does almost lead me to believe Citi CSRs (for once!).
I'm purely speculating that the first few days of this seemingly likely "1 in 60" world, people were able to get in before the door "closed" to get a manual review. It'll be interesting to see if anyone recently (last couple days) has had success in that. Again, my speculation is that either everyone is trained now, or the screen they look at has now been specifically updated to say they can't review it.
I hope I'm wrong, but I just wanted to sound a word of caution that it's not a guarantee that you can count on a manual override and approval, but we'll need to see if it's still viable at all going forward.
In all cases, we get intelligent sounding American CSRs that also appear earnest and not seeing any past "log" on our previous calls. In EVERY case, we've been specifically told about the 60 days being the issue and that there is nothing they can do to put it forward for a manual review. The letter didn't specify 60 days, and we never suggested it, and yet every one almost seems to be reading it on a screen, so the absolute consistency does almost lead me to believe Citi CSRs (for once!).
I'm purely speculating that the first few days of this seemingly likely "1 in 60" world, people were able to get in before the door "closed" to get a manual review. It'll be interesting to see if anyone recently (last couple days) has had success in that. Again, my speculation is that either everyone is trained now, or the screen they look at has now been specifically updated to say they can't review it.
I hope I'm wrong, but I just wanted to sound a word of caution that it's not a guarantee that you can count on a manual override and approval, but we'll need to see if it's still viable at all going forward.
Apr 19, 2018, 8:17 pm
#1063
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 79
I've dealt with Citibank cards for almost two decades, and I've always thought they were the least reliable CSRs...that said, for my wife and I (auto-denied around the 10th each) we've now called a dozen times: A) to get an explanation, and B) to get a manual override review.
In all cases, we get intelligent sounding American CSRs that also appear earnest and not seeing any past "log" on our previous calls. In EVERY case, we've been specifically told about the 60 days being the issue and that there is nothing they can do to put it forward for a manual review. The letter didn't specify 60 days, and we never suggested it, and yet every one almost seems to be reading it on a screen, so the absolute consistency does almost lead me to believe Citi CSRs (for once!).
I'm purely speculating that the first few days of this seemingly likely "1 in 60" world, people were able to get in before the door "closed" to get a manual review. It'll be interesting to see if anyone recently (last couple days) has had success in that. Again, my speculation is that either everyone is trained now, or the screen they look at has now been specifically updated to say they can't review it.
I hope I'm wrong, but I just wanted to sound a word of caution that it's not a guarantee that you can count on a manual override and approval, but we'll need to see if it's still viable at all going forward.
In all cases, we get intelligent sounding American CSRs that also appear earnest and not seeing any past "log" on our previous calls. In EVERY case, we've been specifically told about the 60 days being the issue and that there is nothing they can do to put it forward for a manual review. The letter didn't specify 60 days, and we never suggested it, and yet every one almost seems to be reading it on a screen, so the absolute consistency does almost lead me to believe Citi CSRs (for once!).
I'm purely speculating that the first few days of this seemingly likely "1 in 60" world, people were able to get in before the door "closed" to get a manual review. It'll be interesting to see if anyone recently (last couple days) has had success in that. Again, my speculation is that either everyone is trained now, or the screen they look at has now been specifically updated to say they can't review it.
I hope I'm wrong, but I just wanted to sound a word of caution that it's not a guarantee that you can count on a manual override and approval, but we'll need to see if it's still viable at all going forward.
The next two things I'm looking to find more about:
1) Does the denial reset the clock for getting another approval (need to wait 60 days from denial before applying again)? Or do you just count the denial as an application and recalculate 8/65? I have a DP from another family member back in March who was approved 35 days after the denial in February, but I'm not sure if something has changed since then.
2) Does applying for a Biz card (after a personal) not trigger the auto denial since it is not a duplicate application?
Apr 19, 2018, 8:54 pm
#1064
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP. Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,134
Followup to my post earlier in the thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29520211-post638.html
Background: Applied for the AA Exec card exactly 24 months and 3 days after my AA Plat card (Plat still open), thought I was too hasty and screwed myself out of a bonus so I called Citi, they were clueless as to if I'd get the 50k bonus or not. One rep said I would, another said no. So I put my spend on the card and let it ride. Took no other action calling Citi or anything. Welcome letter did not mention a bonus at all (that really had me worried).
End result: 50k bonus automatically showed up. Statement recently closed out, points hit my AA account the next day. So it appears you can cut it close on the 24 months (it does appear it calculates as 24 months to the day) and still get the bonus. However I'd recommend giving yourself some cushion and not cut it close by three days as I did.
Background: Applied for the AA Exec card exactly 24 months and 3 days after my AA Plat card (Plat still open), thought I was too hasty and screwed myself out of a bonus so I called Citi, they were clueless as to if I'd get the 50k bonus or not. One rep said I would, another said no. So I put my spend on the card and let it ride. Took no other action calling Citi or anything. Welcome letter did not mention a bonus at all (that really had me worried).
End result: 50k bonus automatically showed up. Statement recently closed out, points hit my AA account the next day. So it appears you can cut it close on the 24 months (it does appear it calculates as 24 months to the day) and still get the bonus. However I'd recommend giving yourself some cushion and not cut it close by three days as I did.